Languages and Cultures (BA) - French Track Program

Administered by Department of Languages and Cultures

Effective Fall 2011

A total of 33 semester hours is required for a major in French. Students need French II (FRENCH.102) or the equivalent before entering the major sequence. Students must receive a minimum grade of C in every course required for the major.

Required courses for the major include:

LANGCULT.200 Comparative Cultural Studies

LANGCULT.400 Comparative Language Studies

French Track Course Requirements (27 credits):

FRENCH.203 French III

FRENCH.204 French IV

FRENCH.205 Applied Phonetics and Pronunciation

FRENCH.206 Structure of the French Language

FRENCH.207 Conversation: French Daily Life

FRENCH.401 Advanced French Language

FRENCH.402 Contemporary Issues in Francophone Media

OR

FRENCH.423 Black Francophone Writers & Cultures

FRENCH.422 Masterpieces of French Literature

OR

FRENCH.331 Selected 20th-Century Writers

3 Credits by advisement from the following:

FRENCH.290 French Studies Abroad

FRENCH.309 Commercial French I

FRENCH.333 French through Film

FRENCH.431 Special Topics

LANGCULT.400 Studies Abroad

Secondary Education in Languages and Cultures additional requirement:

LANGCULT.350 Foreign Language Teaching Methodology

Immersion Experience Requirement:

Students earning a degree in Languages and Cultures are required to complete an immersion experience as determined by the Department of Languages and Cultures.

In many cases the immersion experience will transfer as a regular required course or as regular required courses from, for example, study-abroad programs. If the immersion experience does not have a direct course equivalent, then it will appear in the student's transcript as a special course Immersion Experience and carry 0-3 credits.

Fulfillment of the immersion experience may include but not be limited to:

Participation in a Languages and Cultures exchange program,

Participation in a study-abroad program that is not a direct exchange,

Intensive immersion courses at a university in the United States,

Internship or practicum at a business in another country,

Internship or practicum with a charity organization in another country,

Internship or practicum in a domestic program for which the second language is necessary,

Working as an interpreter.

Goals and Objectives:

Languages and Cultures are inextricably entwined. The goal of immersion in a culture of a second language will be the student's application of knowledge of a second language in an authentic social context beyond the necessarily artificial environment of the classroom. The intent is that students experience the challenges and the gratification of living in another culture. In order to demonstrate proficiency, students in Languages and Cultures must experience the authentic and at times random and unpredictable applications of their knowledge of a second language.

An immersion experience allows students the opportunity to apply knowledge of a second language in an authentic cultural context.

At the completion of this course the student will:

1. have a better knowledge of how visual, acoustic, gestural, and ritual systems of the target culture.

2. be able to identify and/or explain how a specific foreign cultural community embedded in a dominant culture chooses to perform and present itself.

3. be able to recognize how an immersion experience might transform the individual's native cultural domain.

Assessment:

Assessment of student learning for the immersion experience is presently embedded in courses to be transferred or in the course assessment section of the Immersion Experience (LANGCULT.390) course.

Evaluations may be based on the following criteria emphasizing spoken and written assessments:

1. Oral reports, presentations using electronic media, individual interviews with the instructor, assignments requiring a second language applied outside the classroom, and extemporaneous speaking activities will be evaluated to determine students' progress in a second language in an authentic cultural context; these procedures apply to goals and objectives 1, 2, and 3.

2. Written essays, discrete written exercises on grammar, syntax, and vocabulary, tests and quizzes incorporating both structured and extemporaneous writing, everyday applications of writing tasks (email, forms, blogs, etc.), may be evaluated to determine students' progress in a second language in an authentic cultural context; these procedures apply to goals and objectives 1, 2, and 3.

Education Majors

Students seeking Secondary Education Certification in French must declare majors in both French and Secondary Education (French) and complete the full French course sequence as well as the Secondary Education Professional Course and Certification requirements. Students must consult their advisers in both departments each semester regarding course selection and other certification requirements. Full program requirements for students seeking Secondary Education Certification in French may be found at http://bloomu.edu/catalog/current/cops/sec_french.php.

Study Abroad in Nancy, France

All language students are urged to seek opportunities to study abroad. An exchange and internship program with the University of Nancy's Faculté des Lettres and the Commercial Institute in Nancy, France affords Bloomsburg University students the opportunity to study in France, regardless of their major. French majors, minors and/or business majors with a strong concentration in French, are especially encouraged to take part in this program.